THE WORLD | IN BRIEF / IRAN

85 Held in Crackdown on Events Marking '99 Raid

Eighty-five people were arrested in Tehran this week as Iran's security forces enforced a ban on rallies commemorating the second anniversary of a brutal police attack on student hostels, newspapers said.

Some were arrested for distributing political leaflets, while others were detained after being beaten by vigilantes.

Police and vigilantes armed with clubs, chains and knives attacked student dormitories in July 1999, killing at least one person and injuring hundreds of others.

The raid led to six days of social unrest and the worst violence in Iran since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.